I had a friend once that had a Russian cousin that married an American lawyer, and the happy couple settled in Los Angeles. This was late for both of them, they were in their fifties. But they were very happy. He went off to Century City every morning and she wanted something to do. She had published some poems in Russia and thought of herself as a writer. So she became an agent. She had some business cards printed, ran some ads in some magazines and began to get submissions from writers wanting to hire an agent. Soon she had a a little group of writers that she was guiding to be published. They would pay her a fee and she would criticize their work and they would rewrite things in the hope of getting closer to being published. When our Russian Poet Friend got stuck she would come to my friend and I and ask advice, because we were writers. This is beginning to sound like Martha Stewart. Expert because people thought she was. Our Russian Poet Friend didn't know anyone in the publishing world or in the movie making world. Ask yourself if you would want Martha Stewart as your agent? If it is blonde and/ or has spiked hair, ask yourself how it got that way. If it can't read or speak English (if you are writing in English), if it tells you you are promising but you are doing it wrong, if it frowns because of your age, if it asks for money, I'd suggest just shrugging it off. (This is a true story, the Russian Poet had her shingle out for a few years before she retired)
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